The live music industry is in a rough place: performing musicians are expected to advertise their own shows and bring in a large fan base, but most of the money from ticket sales goes to lights, sound and the venue before anything goes to the band.

So to make up for that, many musicians work day jobs, which takes away from their ability to craft great music and perfect their performances. Both musicians and their fans suffer in this endless cycle, as more artists give up on music due to the high costs.

All around the country the story from musicians is generally the same, less money more work. Here's an article highlighting the situation in Ventura County and featuring an interview with PDX coordinator Jake Pegg.

Unfortunately, there is an error in the article we would like to correct. In the article, AFM Local 99 President Bruce Fife is incorrectly quoted as saying.

"Some clubs can take out fees of up to $100 before the band even sees a nickel."

The reality is, that number is actually an order of magnitude higher at $1,000. This money is deducted from ticket sales or cover charges to ensure the wages of employees hired by these venues, advertising costs, hospitality (more on that later) and the ever mysterious "house fee".

McMenamin's booker Jimi Biron is also interviewed in the article and his comment on the benefits he sees from Fair Trade Music hit the nail on the head.

"I like it from a competitive stance," he says. "It will help us be able to recruit and book top local talent, because they'll know we pay fairly."

Fair trade music could have two results. On one hand, . . . attendance would shift - maybe a bit, maybe a lot - to fair trade venues from non-fair trade venues. In effect, being a fair trade venue would be a bit of a competitive advantage. If popular artists pledged not to perform at non-fair trade venues, the impact of that advantage would be amplified.On the other hand, a fair trade pay scale could give club owners less incentive to book unpopular acts. It can be explained in terms local bands can understand: If you asked a record store owner to buy your CD and refused to allow the store to sell on consignment (thus shifting the entire risk to the store), you will hurt your chance of getting that store to stock your CD.

Project Seeks to Establish Minimum Pay Guarantees for All Working Musicians

Portland, OR – September 7, 2009 – A coalition of Portland musicians has launched the “Fair Trade Music” campaign, which is seeking to establish minimum pay guarantees for all performing musicians in the Portland area. Co-sponsored by Local 99 of the American Federation of Musicians and the Labor Education and Research Center, the coalition includes union and non-union musicians.